There have been known a multifunction printer which includes a plurality of functions such as a copying machine, a scanner, a printer, or a facsimile. Further, the development of a communication network allows realizing the following technique. In a case where the multifunction printer and a controlling apparatus including an information processing device are connected to each other via a communication network, it is possible that (i) the controlling apparatus outputs document data to the multifunction printer and the multifunction printer forms a document image corresponding to the received document data, or (ii) the multifunction printer activates software that is stored in the information processing device.
For example, Patent Literature 1 disclose a system established by combining a multifunction printer with an information processing device which can carry out a certain process that can not be carried out by a multifunction printer itself.
In this system, the information processing device provides a menu screen for the multifunction printer to the multifunction printer via a network. The multifunction printer (i) displays the received menu screen so as to accept input from a user, and (ii) sends data of the input to the information processing device via the network. The information processing device carries out an operation in accordance with the input data received from the multifunction printer.
This allows, for example, the multifunction printer to print out a document that is scanned by the multifunction printer and is translated into another language by the information processing device in such a manner that the information processing device (i) receives a document image scanned by the multifunction printer, (ii) carries out optical character recognition (OCR) of the document image, so as to recognize character data and (iii) translates the character data into another language, and (iv) sends the translated character data to the multifunction printer for printing out.
Further, as described in Patent Literature 1, such multifunction printers have been carried out the following operations such as limiting functions available in a multifunction printer depending on a user. This limiting the availability of functions is carried out in such a manner that (i) a USB device such as an IC card reader, a biometric authentication device, or the like is connected to the multifunction printer so as to obtain user information, (ii) the obtained user information is sent to an information processing device via a communication network for user authentication, and (iii) based on a result of the user authentication, the available functions of the multifunction printer are limited to functions permitted to the user.
On the other hand, Patent Literature 2 teaches a remote device control program which realizes a transparent use of a peripheral device at a driver level via a network. With this program, a peripheral device such as a USB device which is locally connected to a computer can be used by another computer as if the peripheral device were locally connected to the another computer.